Driest November in 50 years

CENTRAL TARANAKI, like much of the country, continues to cook, with dry, unseasonally hot weather, breaking records and worrying farmers that a drought is upon us.
During November Stratford had only 22mm of rain, falling over six days. This was the lowest November rainfall since official records began in 1960.
The highest-ever Stratford November temperature was recorded on the 28th – 24.8 degrees. The average maximum temperature for the month was 18.7, only exceeded once before in the past 50 years.
Stratford sunshine hours for the month was 255, 131% or normal and the second highest recorded.
Inglewood recorded 34mm over seven rain days, which is 16% or normal.
Taranaki Regional Council Scientific Officer Fiona Jansma said November rainfall all over Taranaki was well below normal, recording between 12% and 52% of normal. 
Motunui recorded the least rain, with 13mm for the month, followed by Stratford and the Pohokura Saddle both recording 22mm. 
The only significant rainfall that Taranaki had occurred between November 4 and 7. South Taranaki received good rainfall on November 20, with the Duffy's Farm recorder receiving 29mm in one day. This is more than half of the rainfall this site received for the month and is more than the mountain sites received that day.
 TRC said year to date, the rainfall totals are between 75 and 111% of normal, but this is skewed by the fact that so much rain fell in September throughout the region. The area that is in the most need of good rain is the eastern hill country, with the rainfall site at Uriti reading 700mm of rain in deficit of its yearly normal.

Restrictions

From this Sunday the Stratford District Council have declared a total fire ban in Eastern Taranaki, east of Douglas Rd, and fire restrictions in the Stratford township and the rest of the district.
This means open air fires and burning activities without a permit are banned and also sprinklers are banned in Stratford, Toko and Midhirst.
Council rural fire officer Kieran Best said Eastern Taranaki is extremely dry due to the recent lack of rain combined with windy conditions and high temperatures.
"Aotuhia is extremely dry, worse than conditions two years ago when we had bush fires. On one farm they only recorded one millimetre of rain during November.
Council have imposed a ban on the use of sprinklers and this applies to all water supply users in the Stratford, Midhirst and Toko townships.
Last week, the council introduced water restrictions which include a total ban on sprinkler and irrigation systems and on unattended hoses.
The following hose restrictions are that houses with even numbers can use a hand-held hose only on even numbered days; and houses with odd numbers can use a hand-held hose only on odd numbered days.

Rivers shrink as rainfall stays away

Two consecutive months of low rainfall have left most Taranaki rivers and streams at low levels not usually seen until mid-summer, and some are at the lowest ever recorded at this time of year.
The Taranaki Regional Council says a few pasture irrigators have already had to stop taking water, and the situation is being closely monitored.
"We have a well-established set of procedures to follow when water shortages occur, and we liaise directly with individual water-take consent holders," says the Council's Director-Resource Management, Fred McLay.
"While September was very wet, we're very concerned that the lack of rainfall in October and November has left rivers so low at such an early stage of the summer," he says.